2017-10-24

第一

This will be short and to the point.

Sometimes when you are learning something, you reach a point
when you are constrained by raw power. Think physics and particle
accelerators.

You compensate by being better at interpreting subtle
evidence. Even with low power, you can learn most of anything if
you have good models, and do the hard work of extracting a weak
signal from noise.

However if you find yourself in this situation, increasing
power should be your first priority. If you hit the
power jackpot, you'll experience some very rapid progress,
because your sophistication is way ahead of your previous level of power.
You are ready to wield more of it.

2017-10-03

Content warning: the last part of this post is saying some
things that might be uncomfortable to hear, in a sharp tone
which you might not like.

第一

I'm spending this week living in Airbnb with my partner. The
host, a young Chinese woman, has a dog. Mixed-breed. Maybe half a
year old. Underfed. Lonely. Mostly left alone for the day. It's a
young dog goddamit, it wants to play. Or rather it must
play! Play is needed to develop social instincts. Otherwise, the
dog will never learn how to find its place in the pack. It will
never be happy.